Nandan looked over the papers with Ghoshal, who still cringed and stole glances at Shefali sitting beside him. Shefali adjusted her shirt as she changed her sitting position. She silently sipped her tea getting increasingly uncomfortable with Ghoshal. Of course his drunken stupor from the previous night didn't help either.

"These numbers look promising!" Nandan handed the papers to Ghoshal. He was doing good work at the Mandi. The promise made to the Colonel was kept.

"But I don't understand why you have the collections carried to the Imperial Bank at the Malda provinces. I thought you banked in Siliguri!?"

"No actually the payments are rerouted from there to her!" Nandan pointed to his wife, "can't have people knowing it all!"

"Oh, I see. You later transfer them to your account!" Ghoshal grinned stupidly.

"Actually the money remains with me!" Shefali said stressing, "as a free woman I have monetary needs!"

"Okay," Nandan broke the ice, "I think it's time for you to go!"

Ghoshal took his files and walked out with Nandan, repeatedly looking back at Shefali. Nandan patted his back, almost pushing him out the door. Then he noticed Shreema seated in the drawing room. Nandan took Ghoshal into the drawing room with much displeasure.

Shreema smiled at the gatekeeper as she entered the Sikdar Estate. She walked past the vast tea gardens into the dormitories, to the drawing-room past the north corner of the courtyard. Nandan was not there for his evening tea. She sat down on the sofa and waited, until she noticed the written cheque lying on the tea table.

"...we'll see about those numbers!" Nandan patted Mr. Ghoshal in the back as they came out of the adjacent trophy room.

Just as Nandan was to lead him out of the door, Mr. Ghoshal smiled insistently, looking back at the tea table. Nandan taped his forehead and smiled. He picked up the cheque and handed it to his guest.

After he left, Nandan turned to Shreema. Shreema threw the flat-file she was holding into the table, "the collection and expenses of this fall!"

Nandan picked up the file and flipped the pages, nodding at intervals.

"Why was Ghoshal here?" Shreema leaned back on the sofa, putting one leg over the other and folding her hands on her knee.

"It was a business meeting, you know him?"

"I know just about every weasel in this town!" Shreema suddenly stood up, "He used to organise high-end auctions at Mayfair Resort. The Duchess favoured him because....."

"Shreema! I'm not blackmarketing ancient Indian artefacts!"

"But you're auctioning something!" Shreema walked towards Nandan, "...Ghoshal has a certain talent to lean the buy out in the houses' favour, he is here for a reason!"

Nandan quietly went back to the file avoiding Shreema's gaze. Those eyes filled with life seemed to bore into his soul."Oh my god! The mandi, of course, the farmers had been talking!" Shreema slapped her forehead, realising the deception, "you are going to fix those auctions! You are gonna rob the farmers blind! Nandan they look up to you, they....."

Nandan looked up angrily closing the file in his hand with a loud thud, "okay here is the thing!", he pointed his index finger close to Shreema's eye, "As a zamindar and a businessman, there are certain things I don't care about!" Nandan paused to look down at Shreema and then looked into her eyes, "You will be wise to follow my lead!" and he walked away.

"This is forbidden, Nandu!", Shreema pleaded, "don't do this to the farmers!"

Nandan turned back and nodded his head left to right with gritted teeth, "I need you to follow your nature! Float away, you've caught my attention! Some people actually earn their freedom!"

Shreema put her head down. Her suffering was not supposed to matter. Her peaceful life shouldn't have brought more suffering into the world. This was not her intention.

Nandan had employed many more people to help her with the temple chores. Neither he nor she ever talked about the sixteen hours she spent in Coochbehar out of supervision. Nandan never threatened her again, for the child was gone, he was rather chivalrous. Nandan treated her as a docile and delicate creature that should be handled with care. Shreema continued about as before, she started dancing again, and people from all the corners of Naxalbari started to visit, they all knew the living goddesses that graced the temple in the past. Faith is only as strong as the legends that spawn it.

Something moved behind Shreema. She turned to see Shefali standing on the doorstep.

"You danced beautifully at the fair yesterday night," Shefali said in a neutral tone.

"I make it my mission to give people lasting impressions!" Shreema joked.

"He makes me go to all the social gatherings, he keeps himself to the shadows. Always scheming and earning money!"

"You are displeased?"

"On the contrary, I think this is perfect. I feel this thought to be very unsettling!"

Shreema squinted her eyes, considering if she should attempt to understand her words.

"The world has only rotten more, since you and I met at the marriage, don't you think?"

"I have noticed and I don't like to talk about it. I am doing my part to rectify it."

"Wouldn't you like to do your part faster?"

"No," Shreema said simply as she prepared to leave.

"Somewhere someone has suffered as much as you!" Shefali shouted, "she would be willing to grant emancipation much faster!"